Rescue work can be very sad because we work hands-on with so many cats and kittens without a loving home. But, on the flip side, it is extremely rewarding when one of our foster cats finds his forever home and we were able to help him get there. Please send us updates about your Purrfect Friends too- we would love to add them to our story book!

Once Upon A Time, there was a kitty who needed a forever home...

Oreo is getting bigger and bigger.  He eats like a horse!  He also acts like a teenager.  He likes to sleep all day,  go out all night, and eat. In other words he is doing great.  Suzanne gets regular reports.  The last time we took him to the vet he told us that Oreo would probably be about 22-25 pounds.   Wow,  he was so little, and is turning into a giant.  We have a ton of pictures,  but it is hard to get pictures because he won't stay still for them.  He huge, but still has a kitten's voice.  I will send you updates.
Shake and Calvin are two beautiful Birman cats, 7 and 8 years old, that were brought to Purrfect Friends when their current owners could no longer care for them. Their new parents made a long drive to Cincinnati to adopt the newest members of their family. They are doing great... their new owner writes- Shake likes to help me get ready in the morning. He loves to help me on the computer.  He is a very laid back kitty. He lets me carry him around and love on him as long as I want. He is my little lover. Calvin is a very talkative boy. He makes sure he tells you when he is not happy with you. When I lay on the couch, he comes over and lays on my shoulder with his paws across my neck. He purrs in my ear the whole time. This can last for hours. Calvin is the kind of kitty that has to be around you with his paws touching you. At bedtime, he has his own pillow now, cause he was hogging mine. He has to have his paws on your body somewhere or he lets know there is a problem. They are doing great! I will take some photos and send them. Thank you again.
Gatto snuck out and wandered too far from his home in early 2008. His owner looked for him for months, posted lost ads, and checked the found ads, never giving up hope that he would be found. After more than a year, Gatto was reunited with his owner after finding several people that helped him find his way home. Read his whole story below. Gatto's story was also aired on Channel 12 news by Jeff Creighton- if the Channel 12 link to the video doesn't work, try this one
Fezzik's new family said: He's great!  I love him, and I can tell my husband does too.  He has one couch that he likes to scratch, but fortunately we don't like that couch very much anyway.  So if we have a good excuse to replace it sooner that otherwise, that won't be so bad.  :)
Callie has settled in very well.  I kept her in the downstairs bathroom for two nights but let her out during the day. She knows where her litter box is and uses it. She slept on my lap for 3 hours the other night while I watch TV. I am gradually giving her access to the house.  I gave her some wet food last night and she didn't like it so she took it out of the dish and put it on the floor. She loves to be brushed.  If I go out when I come home she is all over me. I believe she and I will get along very well.
Buckeye is doing great! He is our spoiled little baby who is very loved! He already weighs about 10 pounds and has monstrous paws. Our Vet said he will be a big full grown cat at a healthy/lean 15-18 pounds! Wow! He is very affectionate, extremely playful and loves to talk to us. He wakes us up every morning by licking our faces and rubbing his face on ours, usually around 5am! When one of us leaves he will sit by the front door and cry/talk wishing he could go too, and when we return, he is sitting right there by the door to greet us! The nickname he has earned is "Buckeye Monster"! Especially when he playfully bites us and attacks our hands/legs with his monster paws! haha! I've even taught him to play fetch. If you throw his little balls or rings, he will bring them back to your feet and wait for you to throw it again. He has more toys than a kid! He has 2 of his own blankets (on the couch and on our bed) and his own basket to take his cat-naps in. We even bought him one of those tent/cube thing like you had at your shelter for him to play and roll around in. Another surprising thing is, he loves water! We tried using a water bottle as a discipline bottle, but it didn't work! It was almost like he was trying to catch the spray water in his mouth! HA! He is always trying to get in the shower and loves to secretly drink water from the sink! Before he gets caught being on the counter! Our biggest challenge so far was Christmas. He was in love with our tree and loved to climb up to the top and entangle himself inside the tree. I bought that Bad Apple spray at Petsmart to deter him from it, but that didn't bother him at all. I even put hanging air fresheners in it, but he figured out how to climb up without being by the smell. He is the most persistent cat ever!! Hopefully next Christmas he will be a little older and not as interested in our decorations. And to think, I had never had a cat before and was a "dog" person! I don't know what I would do without my little Buckeye today! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to adopt him and give him a good home!
Miley & Dr. Venkman are doing great and we all love them very much. Venkman is very cuddly and Miley sleeps with my 5 year old every night which is what she wanted and she loves it.
Stash seemed a little nervous on Saturday night so I stayed with him in a back bedroom.  I set up a litter box and food station for him and closed the door.  I put some toys out and a cat condo for me to hide in.  He obviously had a cat condo where he lived before because he went to it immediately! He didn’t seem very interested in food or water until yesterday morning.  He was purring and purring when I petted him.  You won’t believe this but Stash and I share the same birthday!  I told him we would have to have a feline focused birthday celebration next year.  It seems like we were meant to be together.  I’m thrilled with him. Thanks so  much for bringing us this wonderful baby.
Winchester, a.k.a Winky (formerly Sammy) Things are going really well, and Winky seems to have made himself right at home. He's so funny with the toys...I'd forgotten how much energy kittens have! When I woke up the other morning, both he & Mosby were sleeping on the bed, just a few inches apart, and last night they were playing together in a big cardboard box. Wink had his back bowed up and was hopping sideways and squeaking, which I assume was a signal for "c'mon and chase me", because that's what happened next. I had to go to the basement to get some laundry, and it sounded like a herd of buffalo running on the hardwood floors! I've been gradually switching him over to the Science Diet, and he's eating well...but the boy does love his Fancy Feast, LOL. He's been very good about meeting new people -- my family and friends. Crystal stopped by yesterday to see him, and he went right over to be petted. While nothing could ever replace Ezra, Wink is a real charmer and he's already won a place in my heart. Thank you so much for bringing us together! Update after 7 mths: Winky is so much fun and has made himself quite at home. The 2 pictures are of him and Mosby watching a bird outside and watching their catnip DVD.
Twizzler is great. All my friends love him, including my house mate. Very playful, loving, sociable with everyone, and a great cuddler! I couldn't ask for more. His vet says he's healthy, so I'm looking forward to long last relationship with the little guy
Chloe's new family came into the store and saw her in the cage and fell in love. Her family has a business nearby and now Chloe greets the people as they come in the door. Chloe is very sociable and loves to be petted, so it has been a wonderful fit! This is her greeting face...
I wanted to share an update - and a very happy tale/tail! - about the kitty I adopted through Purrfect Friends about a month ago. I moved to Cincinnati August 25 for a new career - an exciting, but scary endeavor. To help establish a connection to my new home and city, I chose to adopt a kitten. Through the Purrfect Friends website, I was able to locate Matilda (she was Princess to her foster family!). First, I must mention how kind and helpful the folks at Purrfect Friends were to me. From filling out the paperwork to meeting my kitten, I was fully supported and welcomed. Now to the warm and fuzzy part of the tail: an update on Matilda! She certainly lives up to her brave, intelligent, and spirited namesake from the Roald Dahl story of the same name. Matilda has been a faithful companion, snuggler, and absolute pleasure this last month. I was worried that she and I might both have some difficulties adjusting to our new surroundings, but this was simply not the case. Matilda transitioned into our new home seamlessly - and seems to love every minute here. It's wonderful coming home to this adorable - and playful! - kitten each day. I've attached some pictures documenting some of her favorite activities: being cute, snuggling under covers, perching, and playing/laying with her stick toy. She particularly enjoys hamming it up with visitors, bringing them toys and then laying in their laps. She also completely won over the staff at the vet's office - she received an A+ for her disposition (and her health). I want to extend a tremendous thank you to all the folks who support the work of Purrfect Friends and tirelessly aim to find these kitties the forever homes that they deserve. I am so grateful that I was able to connect with them and adopt my newest family member! Matilda has truly made Cincinnati home.

Gatto's Story...

In early 2008, it started out as just any other day for Gatto the cat in Springdale, Ohio. He hung around the house with Tonia, his mom, who had rescued his feline mom without realizing that she was pregnant. After having her litter in the closet, Tonia fell in love with the only black kitten in the litter, Gatto.  Although it seemed like an ordinary day, Gatto would face a scary and amazing journey over the next year of his life with a truly miraculous ending.                     

Gatto was scheduled for a visit to the Spay/Neuter Clinic to be neutered, but a couple of days before the appointment, Gatto got out of the house and ran away. He came back, but was limping and Tonia was not able to catch him. Distraught that he was missing, Tonia posted lost ads and checked the found ads ever day for a sign of Gatto. There were even a few people that thought they saw him near their house, but no one was able to catch him, then he disappeared. Who knows what Gatto was thinking when he ran away, or where he went over the next few months. Maybe he just wanted a little adventure and roamed too far and got lost, whatever it was that took him away from Tonia, she never gave up hope that he was still alive- somewhere out there.

Tonia waited a long time before considering another feline companion. Her heart still belonged to Gatto, but she missed having the companionship of a cat in the house, so when a friend was trying to find homes for some kittens, she adopted Lilly.  Even with her new friend Lilly, Tonia continued to check the found ads and knew in her heart that Gatto was alive and hoped that someone had taken in her missing boy. Maybe someone did take him in for a while, but the next part of the story takes part in Fairfield, 8 miles away from Tonia’s home, across busy streets and major highways.

 In early summer 2008, a lady named Amy started noticing a black cat around the yard on occasion, but it looked enough like the neighbor’s cat, so she didn’t think much of it. As summer turned to fall, Gatto became a more frequent visitor to Amy’s yard and seemed drawn to Amy’s black cat, Licorice, who liked to sit on the screened in porch and bask in the sun. Although Licorice does not like most animals, she surprised everyone by tolerating and even becoming “friends” with Gatto through the screen. When Amy saw that Gatto’s eye was severely injured, she immediately started feeding him to gain his trust so she could help him. Not knowing his name, or if he was a he or she at this point, the black kitty outside who came to visit Licorice became known as Mystery.

About three or four days before Halloween, Amy’s neighbor Lisa and her kids stopped by the house and Licorice was sitting in the front screen door. Lisa told Amy that she had seen a nice little cat in the field, and Amy joked about having an “extra” that she could give her too, and another link in the chain fell into place. Lisa remembered seeing a black cat out in the field behind her house sometimes over the summer, but living close to a park, it wasn’t an unusual occurrence. Then one evening Lisa’s family had grilled fish for dinner on the back deck and a couple of hours later, Mystery was peering in their back door looking for the chef! Lisa also saw that his eye was badly damaged and now talking to Amy, they realized it was the same cat and that he needed help even if he didn’t want it.

Lisa happened to work with Kathy, who is a volunteer with Purrfect Friends Cat Rescue, so she asked about what they could do to help the kitty with the bad eye. And the next link in the chain is added. Kathy asked a lot of questions about the cat’s behaviors and habits to try to determine the best way to catch the cat and get him some help. Mystery appeared to be somewhat friendly, but not ready to walk into a carrier for a trip to the vet. It sounded like a humane trap was going to be the best chance of catching Mystery, so Kathy loaned the needed equipment to Lisa and Amy and they kept feeding Mystery, trying to determine the best time to try the trap. During this time, Mystery was renamed affectionately to “One-Eyed Jack”, or just Jack for short.

In early December another link was added- her name is Linda. Linda takes care of a feral cat colony in the park close to Lisa and Amy’s house. Knowing she had experience with trapping, Amy sought out Linda’s help to enact the plan to trap Jack. Linda also had a “cat condo” at home where she could keep Jack before and after his trip to the vet. Finally the day came, Jack was trapped in a humane trap and off to the Spay/Neuter clinic in Springdale where Purrfect Friends had arranged an appointment for him with Dr. Wozny. After the neuter surgery, Kathy called to ask about Jack’s eye. Dr. Wozny had evaluated his eye while he was “knocked out” and sadly the eye was severely damaged and badly infected. Jack was not able to see out of the eye, and it couldn’t be repaired. Dr. Wozny said that if the eye wasn’t removed, eventually the infection would kill him. They discussed surgery to remove Jack’s eye as the best way to save his life, but as a small, non-profit rescue group, Purrfect Friends had to find the money to pay for his surgery. Although most people wouldn’t call Jack lucky at this point, when looking back on his journey, he is a very lucky cat. Lisa, one of the first neighbors to see Jack, graciously became Jack’s financial angel. She and her family offered to pay for any of Jack’s medical expenses if the rest of the people involved could either keep Jack or find him a home.

December 16^th, 2008 was the day of Jack’s eye surgery and he came through like a trooper. Linda volunteered to foster Jack over the next few weeks while he recovered, and Lisa, Amy, Linda and Kathy set about finding Jack a new forever home, with all of the love he deserved. When Kathy and Linda were talking about Jack’s recovery and putting him up for adoption, they discovered their own connection. Several years before, when Kathy had lived in Fairfield, Linda’s beloved cat, Charlie had found his way to Kathy’s door to enjoy the catnip plant on her porch. Such a small thing at the time, but Kathy found out that Linda remembered her every day when she passed their old house and thought of Charlie who had since passed away. As Jack settled into a routine with Linda as her “port-a-pet” -- she would carry him from room to room with her in his carrier-- Jack’s friendly and loving personality began to shine through. After months of being on the streets alone and injured, Jack was feeling better, getting healthy and healing body and spirit under Linda’s care. Several people thought they might be able to keep Jack, but the right home still hadn’t been found. Linda was kind enough to continue fostering Jack while the search continued, and she was falling in love with him more every day and even considered trying to keep him if she could convince her other family members, feline and humane, that Jack was a good fit to their family. During the time she bonded with Jack, Linda knew that Jack was very much loved by someone and felt that someone out there could really be missing and searching for him.  For the first time in eleven years of being involved with stray cats, Linda placed a found ad on January 7, 2009.

Tonia said that she could feel that Gatto was still alive and never gave up that he would one day return to her, and on January 9^th that feeling grew when she read in the founds ads- Found: long hair black male cat, about two months ago in Fairfield.  Call Linda. After speaking with Tonia and hearing the year-old tale of Gatto’s disappearance, Linda called Kathy to see what she thought- could it be possible that this cat was Tonia’s Gatto? Think of the miles he would have had to travel, crossing major highways, busy roads, through subdivisions and commercial areas. It seemed too strange to be true, but the next time Linda and Tonia talked, the final links of the chain came together. Tonia shared stories of Gatto’s habits and personality traits, the same habits and traits that Linda grew to love in Jack over the past month. On Sunday, January 11^th, Jack finally made it home. He had more than enough adventure, and was now without an eye, but he was Gatto, still loved by Tonia and happy to get reacquainted with his home. Tonia had even saved all of his toys and beds and right away Linda knew it was right, no matter how unbelievable, a miracle had happened and Gatto’s chain was complete.

Over the next few days, Gatto and his new sister Lilly were slowly introduced and even though Lilly is still a little unsure of Gatto, Gatto’s attitude is that nothing is going to upset him now that he’s back, so he takes it in stride. It wasn’t long before he was back to his old ways, sleeping in the bed and watching TV with Tonia on the couch. Tonia never gave up her search for Gatto, and Gatto found his way to caring people that were willing and able to set the events in motion to help him. It started with the purpose of catching Jack to get him to a vet and help him get healthy, and little did anyone know that it was the end of Jack’s long journey and would end the happiest way possibly- Gatto was home at last; home to the person who never stopped loving him and hoping he would return. What cat can ask for a better story than that?

“He found his way into the hearts and homes of very loving people, who collectively got him well and helped him find his way home."  It certainly was no coincidence...I really believe God meant for this to happen."